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Muscle Talk

Jaime Filer

Jaime Filer graduated with a kinesiology degree from York University, where she was a varsity athlete. She’s also a former competitive bodybuilder who competed in drug-tested events throughout North America. If something new is trending in fitness, chances are Jaime’s already tried it!

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Power Plate Training

Often, when I walk into a gym that doesn’t have a squat rack… That’s a joke. I never walk into a gym that doesn’t have a squat rack, let alone a gym that doesn’t have a bench press, leg press, or pre-loaded barbells for curling, either. So when I HAVE to set foot in one for a ‘public interest’ piece, I’m already beyond skeptical. And nervous. What is this Voo-Doo gym with their shaky machines, and lack of Bros?!

The Power Institute

Located in the heart of Yorkville, in downtown Toronto, The Power Institute is a quaint, unique, and discreet training facility. It was opened in 2009 by two friends, Darry Boddington and Ron Das. They were just two guys with a vision. Until a fateful trip to California, where they were introduced to a machine that would change the way they saw gym equipment forever.

The Power Plate

Their studio is based on a European concept that focuses on training on the Power Plate. If you haven’t heard of it yet, do your Google research. It’s ALL over France, England, Germany, and many other different parts of Europe. It’s as much of a staple in their gyms as the bench press would be to ours here in North America. The Power Plate is also considered a “Certified Medical Device” (meaning they meet all essential European health and safety requirements, and as part of this process, an extensive body of independent research was submitted to support the benefits of exercising on a Power Plate). I spent quality time online and on their website reading about the benefits of using a Power Plate; and found so much positive feedback that I actually started to question whether some of the claims were bogus:
“PROVEN POWER PLATE BENEFITS
  Increased strength and power
  Improved muscle tone
  Weight loss
  Increased bone density
  Increased blood circulation and cardiovascular function
  Improved Flexibility and Range of Motion
  Alleviate Pain
  Diminished cellulite
"
"Improved general well-being, fitness and daily life functioning”?!?!
Could one machine really do all that? And could you really reap all those benefits without the use of machines and/or free-weights? The only way to find out was to sit down with one of the owners, ask him myself, and then get my own personal demo.

The Workout

Ron places an emphasis on positioning of the body vs. load of the weight, when it comes to training. The way Charles Glass is famous for his “angles” approach to training, and Crossfit is famous for their bodyweight and “functional” training is similar to how The Power Institute structures their workouts; just put those two together. It’s all about using your own bodyweight as the load, and using time under tension to really stress the muscles through the “mid-range” of the motion (not the bottom of the movement, and not the top – Picture the peak contraction portion of a bicep). Everything you do on the Power Plate is harder because the body has to work harder to stabilize itself, while being shaken and DEstabilized. That’s why you can engage 95% of your muscle fibers when exercising on the plate, as opposed to only using about 20% on traditional equipment. Think about doing a bench press: Everything is already stabilized for you while lying flat, underneath a load. But picture doing full-range (except for the lock-out) pushups, for 45 seconds straight, while your body is being shaken, and you’re trying hard to fight it.

It was truly a workout unlike any other. I’ve done a 225lb squat. I’ve benched my bodyweight. I’ve done strict sit-ups for time until I was blue in the face; but never before have my muscles been shaken or stirred like they were after 30 minutes on the Plate. I was genuinely embarrassed that I couldn’t hold my own bodyweight up to do ASSISTED dips, when normally I can crank out a set of 10-15 WITH a dumbbell, UNassisted.

Conclusion: Consider me now a believer. If and when I have access to a PowerPlate, I WILL use incorporate it into my training.